Work equipment
This page provides information and advice about work equipment. Also provided this section are the important health and safety laws for work equipment.
The Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER) lay down important health and safety laws for work equipment.
Below are the regulations which apply to work equipment.
Definitions
Both 'use' and 'work equipment' are broadly defined as follows:
Use
Use means any activity involving work equipment and includes starting, stopping, programming, setting, transporting, repairing, modifying, maintaining, servicing and cleaning.
Work equipment
Work equipment means any machinery, appliance, apparatus or tool or assembly of components that function as a whole.
Excluded are structural items, private cars, livestock and materials e.g. cement, water, paper etc.
(Regulation 4) - Suitability
This lies at the heart of PUWER and addresses the safety of work equipment from three aspects:
i) its initial integrity
ii) its place of use
iii) the purpose for which it will be used
Any work equipment must be suitable by design, construction or adaptation for the actual work it is provided to do.
(Regulation 5) - Maintenance
This Regulation is framed in very broad terms and covers the need for both routine/planned preventative maintenance and repair to ensure that work equipment is safe to use.
It is recommended that an up to date maintenance log be kept. Maintenance must be carried out by a competent person.
(Regulations 8 - 9) - Information, instructions, training
Users and supervisors must be adequately trained in the safe use of equipment and all risks brought to their attention. They should have easy access to information and instructions in a language they are able to understand. This can either be verbal, where this is considered to be sufficient, otherwise in writing.
(Regulation 11) - Dangerous parts of machinery
The duty under this Regulation is an 'absolute' one. It is to prevent access to dangerous parts or to stop the movement of any dangerous part before any part of a person enters a danger zone.
There is a hierarchy of measures to be taken (usually also in some degree of combination):-
i) fixed enclosing guards
ii) other guards or protection devices (e.g. interlocks)
iii) protection appliances (e.g. jigs, holders, push sticks)
iv) provision of information, instruction training and supervision.
Personal protective equipment should not be used as an alternative to fixed guarding.
The features of guards and protection devices should include:
- suitability
- good construction, sound material, adequate strength
- maintained in efficient state/working order & good repair
- not to be easily by-passed or disabled
- at sufficient distance from the danger zone (i.e. comply with appropriate safe reach distances - see EN294)
- not to unduly restrict the view of the operating cycle of the machinery, where such a view is necessary
- not increase risk to health and safety
- continue, if possible, to protect even when maintenance is in progress.
(Regulation 12) - Protection against specified hazards
Measures must be taken to ensure that risks are prevented or adequately controlled if persons are exposed to the following specified hazards:
- material falling or being ejected from the work equipment
- the equipment breaking apart
- fire or overheating of the work equipment
- the unintended discharging or rejection of any material e.g. dust, gas, liquid, vapour or other substances which is produced, used or stored in the equipment unintended or premature explosion of the work equipment or any article or substance produced, used or stored in it.
(Regulation 13) - High or very low temperature
Protection against burns, scald, sears arising from 'use' of work equipment.
(Regulation 14) - Controls for starting, restarting and changing operation conditions (speed, pressure, temperature, power etc.)
(Regulation 15) - Stop Controls
Stop Controls should bring the equipment to a safe condition in a safe manner.
A complete stop should be achieved where necessary for health and safety otherwise machines may come to rest gradually/at the end of the cycle.
(Regulation 16) - Emergency Stop Controls
Emergency stop controls need to be provided where the other safeguards are not adequate to prevent risk when some irregular event occurs. Should be in addition to the stop controls. Guidance on their specific features may be found in National, European and International Standards.
(Regulation 17) - Visible and identifiable controls
Controls need to be clearly visible and identifiable; safely located; operators to be able to see the work equipment or safe system of work (e.g. permit to work); audible/visible or other suitable warning when work equipment is about to start.
(Regulation 18) - Control Systems
Control systems to be safe so far as is reasonably practicable. Should lead to 'fail-to-safe' condition.
(Regulation 19) - Isolation
Suitable means to isolate work equipment from its source of energy. For portable powered work equipment a plug and socket disconnection would be satisfactory.
(Regulation 20) - Stability
Work equipment to be stabilised by clamping or other means where necessary e.g. counterbalancing, outriggers, footing of ladders etc.
(Regulation 21) - Lighting
This is in addition to Regulation 8 of the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 and should be used where lighting is required at the work station or work area specifically to enable the safe operation of work equipment.
(Regulation 22) - Maintenance
Requires work equipment to be constructed or modified to allow maintenance operations to be carried out safely.
(Regulations 23/24) - Markings and Warnings
Where risks cannot be reduced by 'hardware' measures alone, and reliance is placed on safe systems of work, markings and warnings may form a part of such systems.
Mobile Work Equipment
These requirements relate to equipment when it is travelling. All new mobile work equipment which came into use after 5 December 1998 must comply with the requirements. Equipment existing before that must comply after 5 December 2002.
(Regulation 25) - Protection for people being carried
Where used for carrying people, equipment must be suitable and safe. Account should be taken of the potential for falling; unexpected movements that may occur when in motion or stopping and the environment and place of work. The following items may be needed to prevent injury:
- seating
- side, front, rear barriers/guard rails
- secure handholds
- falling object protective structures (FOPS)
- restraining systems: full-body seats belts, lap belts
- adjustments to speed
- separation from wheels/tracks by guard rails, fenders.
(Regulation 26) - Roll-over protection
Risks from rolling over of equipment when moving to be minimised. Roll over can occur due to uneven surfaces, variable or slippery ground conditions, excessive gradients, inappropriate speeds, incorrect tyre pressures, sudden direction changes.
Risks can be reduced by:
- stabilising the equipment, e.g.: using counterbalance weights, increasing track width by use of more or wider wheels, locking up moveable parts
- providing structures that allow equipment to only fall to one side (known as 'ROPS' - roll over protective structures)
- providing structures to give sufficient clearance if overturned (ROPS)
- providing restraining systems to prevent workers being carried from being crushed between any part of the work equipment and the ground or impacting with the inside of the cab/structure.
Exemptions apply to: fork lift trucks (FLTs) already fitted with above structures; where risks to safety would be increased and where it would not be reasonably practicable (due to environment, e.g., in an orchard or where anchorage points of sufficient strength cannot be provided). If it is impractical to fit ROPS, you may need to use other equipment with ROPS or to which ROPS can be attached.
(Regulation 27) - Roll-over protection for FLT's
Requires risks to be reduced as low as is reasonably practicable on FLT's. A vertical mast will generally prevent overturning but, ROPS will be needed where a variable reach truck is used in circumstances where it could roll over 180 degrees or more.
A restraining system/seat belt will also be required to prevent people falling out or being trapped by the FLT or it's ROPS in the event of roll-over. If it is impractical to fit restraints on older trucks (pre December 1998) and the risks are sufficiently high, you may have to use an alternative FLT with restraints.
(Regulation 28) - Self-propelled work equipment
Covers the risks from the use of self-propelled work equipment and prevention strategies such as:
- Preventing unauthorised start-up
- Minimising collision of rail mounted equipment
- Stopping and braking devices
- Secondary emergency braking provision
- Ensuring drivers field of vision
- Use of appropriate lighting
- Provision of fire fighting appliances.
(Regulation 29) - Remote controlled work equipment
Covers the risks from the use of remote controlled/radio controlled work equipment and the provision of such features to prevent it's operation when out of range; prevent crushing or impact; use of alarms/flashing lights to alert to it's presence; sensing or contact devices; stopping safely.
(Regulation 30) - Drive shafts
Requires safeguards where the seizing of drive shafts would lead to risk.
Checklist for businesses
Review the regulations of PUWER for all your equipment and regulations 25-30 for your mobile work equipment.
Check that your business complies with each regulation.
Related websites
Please use the links below to find further information on work equipment.
- Work Equipment and Machinery (HSE website)
- Safe use of work equipment. Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998. Approved Code of Practice and guidance .
Last updated : 09/08/2010
